A Word of Encouragement- Thank You For Giving to The Lord (3/7/26)

A Word of Encouragement For You
Thank You For Giving To the Lord  (3/7/2026)


Author’s Note: 
Nothing we invest into the work of the Lord is ever wasted. Nothing. As parents, we need to be reminded of that often. The investments into the lives of your children will affect them, their children, and their grandchildren. You are creating a legacy with your family memories, family traditions,and family values. . Don’t forget to create a legacy of faith for your family too! A legacy of faith can carry your child through their entire life. It is an eternal investment into them.  Families- you are some  of the most important and influential  people in the lives of your children! Never stop encouraging them to follow the truth and never stop praying for them. 


I shared this story over and over and it still gets comments from people that knew my brother Joe and have known our family for a long time. Joe passed away in an accident in 1996, when he was 12 years old and in grade 7.  Today,  March 7th,  is his birthday and he has been on my mind this week.  I am happy to honor his memory by sharing this story with you . His life and his story have touched thousands of people. 


I originally wrote this devotional in 2021 and would like to share it with you again.
(MB)


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In church tonight the lesson was about salvation and how we should understand the impact the testimony and witness of others have had in our lives. The speaker encouraged us to write a letter to those that have helped us make a decision to follow Christ, and to thank them. I can’t write a letter to either of these people but I can share on here about them .


I went for a long walk after church tonight and that is always a good time to think. While I was walking I remembered a very sweet story about my brother Joe Morgan. He passed away when he was 12, but he loved Jesus and he loved people. He had a very soft spot in my grandmother’s heart. She could be gruff and was not someone that was easy to talk to about the Bible. She had a fast temper and would shut you down pretty quickly  in any religious discussion. That didn’t stop Joe though. He just kept plugging right along talking to her anyway. I think she admired his spunk, which was a lot like hers .  My grandfather would pick him up from preschool at CLA and when they got home Joe would share the Bible story from class with my grandparents. This was something that my grandmother began to look forward to every day. My brother Joe’s last Christmas he wrapped up his own Bible with a card telling our grandma he loved her. When he gave her his Bible he said “ I want you to know who Jesus is”. He died 9 months later in a tragic accident.
Our entire family was so heartbroken but my grandmother mourned deeply. She always kept his Bible in a box beside her chair in her sitting room.  I was visiting her at her home a few years after Joe passed. She handed me the box and asked me to open it. I did and was surprised to see Joe’s Bible and his card to her. She didn’t look at me when she told me this story,  but with tears running down her face said,” I prayed and asked Jesus to be in my life because of Joe. And I read that Bible of his- all of it. It means so much to me.”.


Now, I have Joe’s Bible and card. It’s in my office at school . Sometimes I share that story in chapel services with my older students. Sometimes I just open his Bible and read and remember a sweet kid that loved Jesus and his Grandma Nell a whole lot, and I am challenged to love people the same way.  Our grandma was able to know forgiveness and restoration in her life because of a little kid that just loved her enough to talk to her about Jesus and the Bible every time he could.  Our lives do have impact on others- even after we leave this Earth. Our testimony does matter and our sharing the Gospel does change lives. I am Thankful for that reminder tonight at church. 


My Brother Joe’s Favorite Bible Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:17 “ Therefore , anyone that is in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come.”


Two of My Brother Joe’s Favorite Songs:
Thank You For Giving To The Lord , by Ray Boltz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtD8EBvFecM


Heartland , By George Strait and his son
 (we played this at my brother’s funeral, but it was a good description of how he lived his life- with thankfulness and joy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6-7j948l6M


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My prayer for you today is the same that my brother prayed for our grandmother- that you would allow Jesus to be your Redeemer, your Restorer, your Healer,  and your Savior. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 , ‘Today is the day of salvation’.  Don’t shut your heart to the voice of your Savior calling to you. Stop running. Stop thinking you are not good enough. Just stop. Listen. Hear the words of the Lord and let them heal your life. Come home and be restored. What are you waiting for?
Happy Birthday in heaven, Joe! You are not forgotten. Thank you for your obedience to the Lord. 


Love you and praying for you and your family every day,
Melissa Boggs
Christian Life Academy Superintendent

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